MOU on the South Andean Huemul

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Conservation of the South Andean Huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) between the Argentine Republic and the Republic of Chile was concluded under CMS auspices and became effective on 4 December 2010. It has a duration of three years and will be automatically renewed unless one Signatory withdraws from it. The MoU aims to address illegal hunting, habitat degradation, the introduction of diseases and other threats to the species.

Due to its worrying conservation status, the South Andean Huemul is listed on Appendix I of the CMS Convention. According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the species’ original global population is estimated to have suffered reductions of 99 percent in size and more than 50 percent in distribution range. Fewer than 1500 animals are estimated to remain in the wild, grouped in small, largely isolated populations. Currently its effective conservation depends on concerted actions between the two Signatory States.

Last updated on 18 March 2014